DECEMBER 2022:
America: United in Addiction, and Dopesick on Lies…
“Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America” by Beth Macy is a powerful and eye-opening account of the opioid crisis in America. Through extensive research and interviews, Macy weaves together the stories of those affected by the crisis, from the individuals struggling with addiction to the doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and policymakers involved. From the labs and marketing departments of Purdue Pharma to local doctors’ offices; and into wealthy suburbs to distressed small communities in Central Appalachia; then back out to distinct cities and into once-idyllic farm towns; Macy takes us on a journey and the spread of the opioid addiction and follows the drastic trajectory that shows how this crisis has persisted for almost two decades and become so firmly entrenched into the fabric of American society.
The book delves deep into the roots of the crisis, aggressive marketing, and deceptive practices of Purdue Pharma, the company behind OxyContin. Macy uncovers the shocking extent to which the pharmaceutical industry downplayed the addictive nature of opioids, resulting in widespread prescription abuse and addiction.
Macy also shines a light on the role of doctors and medical professionals in fueling the crisis. She explores the well-intentioned but misguided prescribing practices that contributed to the rapid proliferation of opioids, often leading to unintended addiction and devastating consequences for patients. She examines this prescribing practice and investigates the powerful force that led America’s doctors and patients to embrace a medical culture where overtreatment with painkillers became the norm.
In that examining the individuals and institutions responsible, Macy highlights the stories of those affected by the crisis. Beth Macy presents the harrowing experiences of individuals and families struggling with addiction, providing a human perspective on the tragic consequences of opioid abuse, beginning with a single dealer who lands in a small Virginia town and sets about turning high school football stars into heroin overdose statistics, Macy sets out to answer the questions of a grieving mother whose only son was taken by the opioid epidemic and sets out to know why as she comes to grip with the reality of greed and need that motivated the reasons her son had to die. Macy takes us all the way back to OxyContin’s introduction in 1996 and the Sackler family‘s responsible for it as owners of Purdue Pharma.
One of the strengths of Dopesick is Macy‘s ability to humanize the issue and create an emotional connection with the reader. She seamlessly integrates personal narratives, statistics, and historical context, painting a comprehensive picture of the opioid epidemic. Her writing is compelling, compassionate, and unflinching, urging readers to confront the harsh realities of addiction and the failures of the healthcare system. Through compelling humane portraits of families and first responders determined to obliterate this epidemic, each facet of the trajectory of the crisis comes into focus and in these politically fragmented times, Beth Macy shows that we are all united in one thing as Americans across geographic, partisan, and class lines. Opioid drug use.
Overall, Dopesick is a compelling and well-researched book that exposes the complex web of factors that led to the opioid crisis in America. Beth Macy‘s storytelling skills and in-depth investigation make this book an essential read for with seeking to understand the profound impact of addiction on individuals, families, and communities. And even though America is up against a rock and hard place with opioid addiction drug use and healthcare, Macy finds reason to be hopeful for the future and provides proof that the spirit of unity against this fight and the tenacity to see it threw is helping countless ordinary people affected by the opioid epidemic and addiction build a better future for themselves along with their families and communities.
From the Sackler boardroom to the Unites States Department of Justice courtroom and into the living rooms of countless Americans somehow affected by this manufactured crisis, Macy amazes us with her riveting and extraordinary work that was adapted into the 2021 Hulu Original limited series Dopesick, starring Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever. I would recommend you read the book and watch the limited series, or you can pick one or the other, either way, you’re in for the riveting story of heartbreak that has bittersweetly reunited a divided nation behind its struggle to shake the addiction to opioids and be stronger than the lie they were sold on.
Journalist Beth Macy:
“masterfully interlaces stories of communities in crisis with dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference”
– The New York Times
